Foam-dispensing package



Feb. 26, B. F HALDY FOAM-DISPENSING PACKAGE Filed June lO, 1955 vINVENTOR.

.BURTON /r'//MDX BY Y lllllIIIIIIIIIIII-llllll TTQQ/VEX OAM-DISPENSINGPACKAGE Application June 10, 1955, Serial No. 514,548

1 claim. (Cl. 299-90) My invention relates to a foam-dispensing packageadaptable for use as a substitute for bar soap, tube dental creams,aerosol products including foods, and the like.

In the past there has been considerable activity in the development ofholding and dispensing packages which would eliminate the messy andwasteful conditions resulting from present techniques for handlingcertain fluidized products. It is believed that investigations haveshown the waste of soap, for example, to be quite substantial in certaininstitutions, and attempts have been made to restrict this loss throughthe use of various 'mechanical devices.

My invention provides a new and unique package which is believed to meetthese problems in an eicient and inexpensive manner, My inventioninvolves a package made up of a container having a l-iquid-containingzone or chamber and a foam-.containing zone or chamber. Theliquid-containing zone contains a formulation of ingredients capable ofproducing a rich foam upon agitation, the container being equipped witha dispensing or discharge means for conducting the foam out of thecontainer to the place of use. A means is provided for reducing thevolurne capacity of the container to cause dispensing of the foam.Mounted in the path of travel of the foam is a means which consolidatesand condenses the foam to a rich consistency which retains its heavyrich foam characteristics for a substantial period of time. This foam,as produced by my invention, is not watery and will not run.

Various means may be employed to agitate the foaming solution and causeits passage from the container out through the dispensing means.

lt will be apparent that my invention may be employed with suitablemodifications for the production of packages of shampoos, dental creams,soaps of all kinds, food products and many other similar uses.

Other important objects and advantageous features of my invention willbe app-arent from the following description and accompanying drawingswherein for purposes of illustration herein a specific embodiment ofthis invention is set forth in detail and wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view partly in section showingmy invention and taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Figs. l, 2 and 3, it will be seen that thefoam-dispensing package of my invention includes a container 15 having athreaded outlet 16 'to which is threadedly attached a master cap 17. Themaster cap 1'! has a discharge conduit 1'8 which is externally threadedat 19 to receive the deliveryy nozzle 20 which preferably has theconfiguration of a jet aeroplane with an internal foam discharge passage2l in iiuid communication with the discharge conduit 18 of the mastercap 17 and an external discharge passage 22 extending along the body ofthe jet plane so that the foam is discharged as a simulated jet exhaustfrom the rear of the plane.

A removable sealing disc 23 is disposed between the master cap 17 andthe container outlet 16 to prevent leakice age during shipment Iandstorage, this disc 23 being punotured or removed by the user. Othertechniques may be employed to prevent leakage during shipment andstorage, such as various plastic sealing methods in well known usetoday.

To produce a rich heavy foam, the package of my invention includes acondensing means 24 positioned and mounted in the path the foam travelswhen being dispensed. The foam condensing means 24 for providing auniformly condensed foam may be constructed from a variety of materialsand in a variety of shapes and thicknesses.

The container 1'5 of the specilic embodiment shown by way of example ispartially fil-led with a liquid capable of producing foam. The container15 includes a liquid-containing zone or chamber 25 and a foam-containingzone or chamber 26. To cause dispensing of foam from the foam-containingzone 26, means are provided for reducing the volume capacity of thefoam-containing zone; in the specific embodiment shown, the container l5is made of a tiexible material which may be squeezed to discharge thefoam.

Asy shown in Fig. 3, the condensing means is a filter disc 24 of rayonpaper mounted between the master cap 17 and the delivery nozzle 20.Placement of the lter at this position has been found most advantageouswith the disclosed design since complete assembly of the master cap andthe delivery nozzle can be made by the manufacture. It is possible, ofcourse, to place the lter disc 24 between the container outlet 16 andmaster c-ap 17.

The master cap 17 and the delivery nozzle Ztl have been shown in thepreferred embodiment as comprising two separate elements, and it will bereadily understood that with a different placement or design of thefilter means 24, the master cap and discharge nozzle may be a singleunit.

The rayon lpaper filter disc 24 which has proved highly satisfactory forcondensing soap foam is manufactured and sold under the trade nameR-ZS-S fabric; the closeness of the mesh of this fabric is such thatpores are provided in the order of magnitude of substantially 100,00()pores per -square inch. The pore size varies from one hundredth of aninch in diameter downward with the average diameter being in the rangefrom two to iive thousandths of an inch.

Other satisfactory filter materials are fabric discs made from the newsynthetics (Orlon, Daeron, etc), silk, spun glass, and the like. Insubstance, any material known to art which condenses the foam may besuitably adapted for specific uses.

The package of my invention includes a solution comprising a formulationof ingredients capable of producing a large amount of foam uponagitation. As shown in Fig. l, the package as sold to the consumer isnot completely filled. A suitable soap solution which is part of thepackage and which lill-s about 1/a of the container 15 has the followingformulation:

Percent Cocoanut oil 10. Potassium hydroxide, 85% 5. Sodium hydroxide,85% .6 Glycerine 12.65 Oleic acid 14. Glycerol 40% l0. Lauryl sulphate.08 Stearic acid triple press 11.02

Y Water, q. s. (remainder),

Patented Feb. 26, 1957 in one hand and shaken slightly to ll theremaining twothirds of the bottle with foam. Continuing to hold thecontainer in an upright position and compressing the walls of thecontainer will cause a very concentratedribbon of rich foam to flow fromthe jet exhaust of the plane dispenser cap, the filler condensing meanscausing a reduction in the size of air bubbles in the foam and aconsolidation or compression of the foam.k Since the soap solution ishighly concentrated, only a very small amount is required on the handsfor satisfactory cleaning. The foam produced in the bottle will last forhours, thereby eliminating the requirement of shaking the bottle bcforeeach use. It will be appreciated that the specific design of the jetexhaust which forms the final discharge nozzle aids in preventing dropsof any excess foam upon the bottle. The bottle is therefore maintainedin a clean condition. The package is designed to enable the reuse of thefoam concentrating and discharge means simply by attaching thisstructure to a new bottle of the soap concentrate.

The basic dispenser bottle can be reused by refilling from a largerstorage container. When necessary the condensing filter means can beeasily replaced. It is believed my invention is obviously considerablymore economical than the aerosol bomb type containers since the basicunit can be reused indefinitely.

In view of the foregoing, various modifications ofrny inventiondescribed herein will be apparent to those skilled inthe art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof.

I claim:

A foam-dispensing package comprising a ilexible deformable container, aliquid solution in said container comprising a formulation ofingredients capable of producing foam upon slight agitation of theliquid solution, said liquid solution filling a portion only of saidcontainer thereby enabling the production of foam Within the container,which foam lls the remaining space within the container, dispensingmeans mounted on said container for conducting foam out of saidcontainer after formation thereof: when the vcontainer volume is reducedby deformation of the container, and filter means mounted in saiddispensing means in the path of the dispensed foam for condensing andconsolidating the foam, said lter means comprisinga fabric having poresin the order of magnitude of substantially 100,000 pores per squareinch, the pores having an average diameter in the range from two to iivethousandths of an inch.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 156,696Fichtenberg Nov. l0, 1874 1,738,691 Campanella Dec. l0, 1929 2,549,258Stover Apr. 17, 1951

